Is Shabu Shabu Healthy? (5 Tips For Weight Loss)

Shabu Shabu is one of types of cuisine that has influenced tons of restaurants all around the world.

It’s essentially Hot Pot that originates from Japan and, just like many other Japanese, dishes has a delicious flavor coming from soy sauce and mirin. 

Although Shabu Shabu is delicious, is it healthy?

Shabu Shabu is definitely a cuisine that offers many healthy dishes that add a ton of nutrients coming from fresh ingredients. There are also a ton of fibrous vegetables that are used in Shabu Shabu which means the calories will be low while satiating and satisfying. 

If you do not understand what goes into Shabu Shabu, however, you can find yourself overeating which can cause a substantial amount of weight gain.

In order to eat healthy Shabu Shabu, here are 6 steps you can take to make sure that you are eating within a healthy range the next time you’re out at your favorite restaurant. 

1. Understand What Goes Into Your Shabu Shabu 

2. Understand How Many Calories Goes Into Your Shabu Shabu 

3. Focus On Eating The Veggies 

4. Understand How Many Calories You Need To Eat In a Day 

5. Make Sure To Workout & Build Muscle 

Let’s take a look at each of these steps and look into how we can eat Shabu Shabu while staying healthy and fit. 

Tip 1: Understand What Goes Into Your Shabu Shabu 

Shabu Shabu differs from Hot Pot as it is usually flavored very lightly with kombu and boiling water.

You can definitely find many Hot Pot broths having an upwards of a thousand calories as there is so much oil and saturated fats that go into the stock. 

There are some Shabu Shabu restaurants that add some heavier flavors to their broth as well but Japanese chefs tend to keep the broth pure.

This is great news in terms of fitness as you can avoid eating a ton of fats while still getting a great meal in. 

I understand that there is a lot less flavor when it comes to Shabu Shabu as the beef does not soak in the different styles of broth you can get at a traditional Hot Pot restaurant.

However, Shabu Shabu focuses on flavoring their meats through their sauces rather than the broth. 

There are two types of sauces that Japanese chefs serve which are extremely flavorful and are traditional to Japanese cuisine.

One is made of a ponzu solution that also contains mirin and soy sauce while the other is based off of a sesame solution that contains miso, sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce, garlic, and rice vinegar. 

While Hot Pot can be an extremely fattening meal, Shabu Shabu is a healthier alternative to that as you get a fraction of the fats with the same amount of flavor.

We’ve already talked about the broth but now we can look into the items you can typically find in Shabu Shabu. 

The main feature of Shabu Shabu is the extremely thin cut beef that you can find.

You can usually find that the beef comes from ribeye or top sirloin which are fatty pieces, however, fine to eat as they are served in very small portions. 

Unlike Hot Pot, Shabu Shabu also features a variety of other meats such as crab, chicken, oysters, clams, and fish.

All of which are leaner cuts of meats that have a higher protein to fat ratio.

Overall, you can expect Shabu Shabu to be a healthier alternative to Hot Pot as you get so many great options with a fraction of the calories.

Hot Pot is delicious and there is a time and place for indulging in the fatty stuff.

However, if you’re someone that wants to stick to their goals, Shabu Shabu is the way to go. 

Now that we know what goes inside a typical Shabu Shabu dish,

let’s see what you can expect the calories to look like in the different options of Shabu Shabu. 

Tip 2: Understand How Many Calories Goes Into Your Shabu Shabu

 The bulk of the calories you get from Shabu Shabu really comes from the meats as there is relatively no calories in the kombu and water broth.

Let’s take a look at the calories of the meats you can typically find in a Shabu Shabu restaurant. 

5. Beef Tongue 

Beef Tongue is one of the best cuts of meat as it offers a ton of flavor and a different texture compared with the other meats.

It’s fat content is high, however, this dish is served with a very small portion which makes it harder to overeat. 

Let’s take a look at the calories and see what goes inside a typical Beef Tongue dish.

For every 4.5 grams of fat, there are 0 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.

You can see that the fats are higher than the protein which makes it a terrible food to eat. 

Fats are the highest caloric macronutrient out of the three which means that they should be the lowest when you look at a nutrition label.

You want to generally eat at a 1:3 ratio with fats and proteins respectively. 

When you find a food that has more fats than protein or carbs, you want to make sure you eat that dish in moderation as the fats can add up easily.

Our tip here is to focus on the higher protein meats in this list. 

4. Ribeye 

Ribeye is definitely my favorite cut of beef which is because it’s one of the fattest cuts you can find.

I know that this is a very rich cut so I always make sure not to eat too much of it: even on my cheat days. 

This is actually the cut of beef that you can find most shabu shabu places serve.

The great part about it is how thin they slice it which makes it hard to overindulge.

Let’s take a look at its nutrition facts and see what goes inside a typical slice of ribeye.

For every 5 grams of fat, there are 0 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein.

As I mentioned above you want to make sure that there is a 1:3 ratio between fats and protein.

In this cut of beef there is almost a 1:1 ratio which means most of the calories come from fat. 

Our recommendation is to eat in moderation and, just like the beef tongue, make sure that you’re aware of how much you are consuming in a single serving.

Focus on the other options that Shabu Shabu provides and find higher protein options with less fat. 

3. Sirloin 

Next to Ribeye, Sirloin has to be next in line in terms of my favorite cut of beef.

It’s a thicker cut with more of a chew to it which makes for a delicious cut of beef.

It has a lower fat content than ribeye or beef tongue but is still pretty high compared to the many other proteins available to us. 

Let’s take a look at the nutrition facts and see what goes inside a typical Sirloin cut.

For every 12 grams of fat, there are 0 grams of carbs and 23 grams of protein.

This is a big improvement from the previous cuts as there is now a 1:2 ratio between fats and protein. 

It’s a little harder to find Sirloin cut into thin slices at a Shabu Shabu restaurant so you’ll have to find it when you make Shabu Shabu at home.

This is a better option to eat when you’re mindful of your diet but let’s take a look at the other choices on this list. 

2. Skirt 

Skirt is very similar to Sirloin in terms of nutrition and calories.

It somehow tastes like a leaner cut of beef to me as there isn’t a large chunk of meat on either side.

You can usually find this in Shabu Shabu restaurants labeled as the “lean meat” option which is going to be your best bet if you want to stay within a good range of calories. 

Let’s take a look at the nutrition facts and see what goes inside a typical Skirt steak option.

For every 10 grams of fat, there are 0 grams of carbs and 22 grams of protein.

It’s very similar to sirloin and is more widely available when you go out to a typical Shabu Shabu joint. 

If you’re up for the sacrifice, then Skirt steak is the option for you.

Our tip here is to add some of the fattier cuts of beef into the mix too as eating purely Skirt can make the meal a little overbearing. 

1. Brisket 

For the number one spot we have Brisket which is going to be the most popular option when you’re out eating at any Shabu Shabu joint.

Depending on your restaurant, they will either serve Brisket or Ribeye as the main option of beef.

Our tip here is to find a restaurant that serves brisket as it can totally compete with brisket and has a ton less fat. 

Let’s take a look at its nutrition facts and see what goes inside a typical Brisket dish.

For every 1.5 grams of fat, there are 0 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein. This is pretty amazing for how delicious this cut of beef is. 

It meets the standard of the 1:3 ratio between fats and protein which means that it’s your best bet when trying to stay healthy.

You’ll find that focusing on the brisket will allow you to leave satisfied without feeling too heavy or lethargic. 

There’s also a ton of other options when you eat out at your local Shabu Shabu restaurant.

Our last tip is to not just eat the beef and to mix in some seafood or chicken when ordering your dishes.

You’ll find that the seafood and chicken have way less fat and is actually really delicious as well. 

Tip 3: Focus On Eating The Veggies 

Another huge aspect of Shabu Shabu is the wide variety of vegetables you can find.

Similar to what you can find at a typical Hot Pot joint, Shabu Shabu offers the same vegetables if not more.

If you go to a Shabu Shabu restaurant in Japan, you can definitely see that they don’t mess around with the vegetables. 

Presentation is a huge part of Japanese cuisine so you can expect a crazy variety of vibrant colors coming from the many different vegetables on the dishes they serve.

The reason why vegetables are so important in a food like this is because it offers us fibers and satiation against all the fat that comes from the meat. 

Fat is the least satiating macronutrient so you can eat a lot of it while being unaware of how many calories you are consuming.

Fiber helps regulate that as it aids in keeping us fuller and even helps with digestion after such a large meal. 

Our tip here is to make sure that there is a bite of vegetable with every bite of meat served.

It adds both flavor and nutrition that you need to make this meal a balanced and healthy choice.

You’ll see that you leave full without feeling groggy or too heavy. 

Vegetables go a long way when dieting and add so many vital micronutrients to the mix as well. 

You’ll need everything you can get when you eat less which means vegetables are there to keep you in check. 

Tip 4: Understand How Many Calories You Need To Eat In a Day 

Calories are the building blocks of food and what supply us with the energy we need to function.

Understanding how many calories you need to eat in a day allows us to manage how much energy we get and whether or not we are gaining, losing, or maintaining a healthy weight. 

There is a concept called energy balance which compares the amount of calories burned to the amount of calories consumed in a single day.

If more energy is consumed than burned then weight gain will occur.

If less energy is consumed than burned then weight loss will occur. 

If you are someone who is looking to shed fat, then your goal is to make sure you are burning more energy than you are consuming.

In order to do this, you must find how many calories you need to eat in a day through means of trial and error. 

If you want a more in-depth description on how you can get your daily allotted calories, then make sure to check out this article where we go over the step by step solution to getting lean.

We go over the importance of finding your calories and what those calories should consist of. 

Let’s take a look at the importance of building muscle and staying active while we eat delicious foods such as Shabu Shabu. 

Tip 5: Make Sure To Workout & Build Muscle 

Muscle allows us to burn calories at rest which means we can eat more foods overall.

This is extremely important when it comes to eating at a deficit of calories as it allows us to be satiated while still losing weight. 

Successful diets implement three things:

a balance of all three macronutrients, a strong understanding of how many calories you need to consume, and a well organized workout plan that builds muscle everywhere. 

In order for you to see some substantial results, all three pieces of the puzzle must be achieved and must be done for long periods of time.

Building muscle is crucial as it gives us more room to enjoy the foods we want to eat. Restriction is your enemy when working out so muscle keeps us from within those limitations. 

A successful regimen is what allows us to eat Shabu Shabu and all of our favorite foods which is why it’s so important to find a program you like.

Here is an example workout plan that you can use that is suited for beginners or those looking to get started with working out. 

WOMEN 

Monday (Full Upper):  

• Seated Shoulder Press: 4x20 

• Lateral Raises: 4x15

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12

• Dumbbell Row: 3x10

• Dumbbell Fly: 3x10 

• Knee Push Ups: 4x20

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

Wednesday (Back/Hamstrings/Biceps) 

• Assisted Pull Ups: 3x10

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12 

• Cable Row: 4x15

• Stiff Leg Deadlift: 4x15

• Hamstring Curl: 4x15

• Bicep Curls: 3x10

• Hammer Curls: 3x10

Friday: (Legs/Butt/Abs): 

• Squats: 5x5 

• Goblet Squats: 4x20

• Glute Bridge: 4x20

• Glute Kickbacks: 4x20 each leg

• Jump Squats: 4x20

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

• Leg Lifts: 3x35

MEN 

Mon: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs (Push Day) 

• Bench Press: 3 sets 10 reps

• Dumbbell Press: 4 sets 12 reps

• Shoulder Press: 3 sets 10 reps

• Lateral Raises: 3 sets 15 reps

• Triceps Rope Push Down: 3 sets 15 reps

• Cable Crunches: 4 sets 15 reps 

Wed: Legs & Abs

• Goblet Squats: 4 sets 20 reps

• Weighted Walking Lunges: 2 sets 20 steps

• Stiff Leg DeadLift (Romanian Deadlift): 4 sets 15 reps

• Glute Bridges With Weight: 4 sets 20 reps

• Jumping Squats With Resistance Bands: 5 sets 20 reps

• Weighted Sit Ups: 4 sets 25 reps

• Weighted Toe Touches: 4 sets 25 reps

Fri: Back & Biceps (Pull Day)

• Assisted Pull Ups: 3 sets 10 reps

• Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets 12 reps

• Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets 10 reps (Each Side)

• Seated Cable Rows: 4 sets 15 reps

• Bicep Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

• Hammer Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

You can look up these workouts on Youtube or online to find out the correct form and which muscle groups they all use.

You’re going to need some equipment for these workouts so you can either get a gym membership or buy them for a home gym. 

If you’re looking for the best workout gear, then here are some products that we recommend you use to do these workouts at home. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

Let’s go out there and build that muscle. You’ll be amazed to see what kind of results you can accomplish. 

There It Is! 

In this article we discussed the benefits of eating Shabu Shabu and the choices you can make to stay within a healthy range.

If you want to read more articles on healthy Asian foods, then make sure to look at our other articles where we talk about healthy tips to keep you on track.

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